title: Theranostic immunoliposomes for osteoarthritis.
abstract: Although there have been substantial advancements in the treatment of inflammatory arthritis, treatments for osteoarthritis (OA) have lagged and currently are primarily palliative until joints become totally dysfunctional and prosthetic replacement is needed. One obstacle for developing a preventive therapy for OA is the lack of good tools for efficiently diagnosing the disease and monitoring its progression during the early stages when the effect of therapeutic drugs or biologics is most likely to be effective. We have developed near infrared immunoliposomes conjugated with type II collagen antibody for diagnosis and treatment of early OA. These immunoliposomes bind to damaged but not normal cartilage. Utilizing these reagents, we can quantitate exposure of type II collagen during cartilage degradation in individual joints in vivo in a guinea pig. Immunoliposomes could be used to determine the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions in small animals as well as vehicles for localized drug delivery to OA chondrocytes.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  This team of authors have developed near infrared immunoliposomes conjugated with type II collagen antibody for diagnosis and treatment of early OA, with promising results demonstrated in a guinea pig model.
authors.affiliation: University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA; Campbell Clinnic, Memphis, TN, USA; Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Memphis, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Hongsik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Memphis, TN, USA.
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Stuart
authors.affiliation: University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Magid
authors.affiliation: University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Delia C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Danila
authors.affiliation: University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Tamra
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hunsaker
authors.affiliation: University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Eugene
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pinkhassik
authors.affiliation: University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA; Campbell Clinnic, Memphis, TN, USA; Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Memphis, TN, USA. Electronic address: khasty@uthsc.edu.
authors.forename: Karen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Hasty
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002356:Cartilage / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D024043:Collagen Type II / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D018796:Immunoconjugates / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008081:Liposomes / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D024043:Collagen Type II; D018796:Immunoconjugates; D008081:Liposomes
keywords: Extracellular matrix (ECM); Immuno-liposomes (ILs); Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent; Osteoarthritis (OA); Theranostic (therapeutic and diagnostic); Type II collagen (CII)